Ooredoo alert on cyber safety in Oman

Muscat: As children spend more time connected in a digital world, Ooredoo is reaching out to parents to make sure youngsters have a positive experience as they access educational and entertainment material online.
“Apps, social media and other digital sources are both educational and fun, but they do have risks. While Ooredoo invests in the latest security and protection technology to combat threats, parents also have to play their part in keeping their children safe,” Director of Government Relations and Corporate Affairs, Raed Dawood, said.
According to Dawood, there are a few simple things families can do to help keep their children out of trouble when they’re going online. “Firstly, parents must make sure their child does not give out personal information, such as phone numbers, email addresses and passwords to anyone when they are messaging through WhatsApp or social media.
Secondly, we advise parents to make it clear that children should only chat with real world friends and family, and should not accept friend requests from people they don’t know,” Dawood added.
Dawood also commented on the very real dangers of making unknown friends.
“It is also important to watch out for signs of cyber bullying. Look for changes in behaviour, not wanting to be with friends or going out and above all, let them know they can come and talk to you, if they ever feel worried about someone or something they have come across online.”
Dawood went on to suggest that parents set internet filters to limit sites children can visit.
As a final recommendation, he urged parents to agree to a code of online conduct with their children and to monitor their device use.